Vacuum air valve



July 16, 1940- L. w. EGGLESTON VACUUM AIR VALVE Filed July 20, 1936 a4 5 820 I5 V 5 1y VEN TOR A TTORNE Y Patented July 16, 1940 UNITED STATES.

mam.

" PATENT OFFICE VACUUM AIR VALVE In. W. "M

M Lubrieator assignerte Detroit, lliela,

Company. Detroit. m.

My invention relates generally to valves and more particularly to air vent valves for heating systems.

I One of the objects ofmy invention is to provide a new and improved air vent valve and one which is sensitive in operation and of durable construction.

Another object of my invention is to provide an air vent valve of simple construction and yet I. one which is efllcient in preventing the return of air into a heating system of the vacuum type.

The invention consists in the improved construction and combination of parts, to be more fully described hereinafter and the novelty of II which will be particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, to be taken as a part of this specification, I have fully and clearly ilustrated my invention, in which drawing- 20 Figure 1 is a view shown in vertical central cross section of my improved air vent valve;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in central vertical cross section of an upper end portion of my air vent valve, and

I Fig. 3 is a top plan view shown partly in cross section and partly in elevation and taken along the line 3- of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference my air vent valve includes a casing which,

a in the present instance, is of sectional construction including a lower tubular-shaped section or base I, and an upper open-ended tubular section 2 which has an end portion fitted and secured into the lower section I. Secured in and to the I side wall of the lower section I, adjacent its bottom wall, there is an open-ended tubular nipple l of conventional form for connecting the valve to a radiator of a heating system. Projecting into the casing through the tubular nipple 3 is a Q siphon tube 4 usually employed in air vent valves,

and the inner end of the siphon tube may be provided with an annular flange, or head 5, for engagement with the inner end of the nipple 3 to prevent removal of the siphon tube 4 through the nipple. The tubular nipple I has an outer end portion which may be externally threaded, as

shown, for screw threading into a threaded aperture in a wall of a radiator (not shown) and the inner end portion of the nipple 3 preferably has 5. an aperture 6 in its side wall opening into the casing for the passage of fluid.

Disposed within the valve casing, there is a supporting member 'I which is preferably a strip of metal having its opposite ends secured'to the side walls of the casing section 2, adjacent the ture of the expansible-contractible fluid to move lower end thereof, the supporting member I being disposed substantially transverse to the side wall of the casing section 1. The supporting member I is provided midway between its ends with a threaded aperture to receive an adjustable seat, I or supporting member, in the form of a screw I. Beating on the upper end of the screw I there is a thermostatic float ll of a conventional type for preventing the escape of steam and water from the valve casing. The present thermostatic float I. III comprises a tubular-shaped, metallic container that is closed and hermetically sealed and contains a quantity of a suitable temperature responsive, expansible-contractible fluid, which may be alcohol. The bottom wall, as at .ll, an! the thermostatic float I I rests on the adjustable seat I and is a flexible wall or diaphragm that is flexed by and in accordance with the tempera- Adjacent its upper end the tubular casing section 2 is formed, in the present instance, having an inwardly bent, annular portion 12 providing an upwardly facing seating surface or shoulder on which a removable wall means It seats and is I positioned substantially transverse to the side wall of the casing. The wall means It is of general plate-like form and preferably has a centrally disposed depending portion, as at |4.' Extending through the wall means II and its deso pending portion I there is an aperture or bore ii for the passage of air from the casing, and in the lower end portion of the depending portion l4 there is preferably provided a conical-shaped recess "that tapers inwardly and upwardly, openas ing into aperture l5 and providing therewith a downwardly facing valve seat ii. The thermostatic float II has an integral and upwardly extending stem portion II the upper end of which is preferably rounded, as at IQ, and constitutes 40 a valve that cooperates with the seat II to control flow through the port i5.

The upper, or outlet side of the wall means II is preferably formed having a plurality of valve seats provided by upwardly directed, continuous, 43 extended portions 2| which, as shown in Fig. 3, are preferably a plurality of concentric, ring-like projections. The upwardly facing seating surfaces of the ring-like extended portions II are preferably flattened, as shown. The wall means I3 is also preferably formed having an extended, outer annular border portion 2i providing anv upwardly facing seating surface that preferably lies in the same plane with the valve seats II. a

Seating on the seating surface 2i and the concentric seats a there is a valve member 2:, ier-- erably a diaphragm of suitable flexible material which may be rubber. Over-lying the diaphragm 22 there is a cap member 23 which has an open end dsposed toward the diaphragm and which, at its open end, has an outturned annular flange 2! which seats on an outer border portion of the diaphragm 22. In the present instance, the cap member-.22, diaphragm 22 and wall means I! are secured together, and to the casing section 2, by inwardly peening over an upper end portion 26 of the casing section 2 and clamping the parts tightly together between the peened over portion 2' and the seat l2. In the top wall of the cap 23 there may be provided one or more apertures 21 for the escapeof air from the casing to outside atmosphere. In the diaphragm 22 there may be provided one or more aperhires 28 which are located in the portion of the diaphragm that overlies the space between the outer valve seat 20' and the annular seating surface 2i of wall means if. The aperture or apertures 22, as will be seen, will not be in communication with the port 15 unless the diaphragm 22 is moved away from both of its seats 20. The diaphragm 22 rests lightly on the seats 20 and is preferably in its inert form, or not under tension.

The-operation of my device is as follows: When steam enters a radiator of a heating system the steam drives the air ahead of it into the vent valve casing and the pressure of the air acting on the underside of the flexible diaphragm 22 flexes or stretches the diaphragm upwardly away from its seats 20, establishing communication between port II and apertures 28 and permittingthe air to escape into the cap 23, whence it escapes to atmosphere through the apertures 21 in the'top wall of the cap. When the pressure exerted by the air in the valve casing becomes less than the outside atmospheric pressure, or pressure in cap 23, then the relatively greater force acting on the upper side of the diaphragm 22 holds the diaphragm down tightly against its seats 20 closing the passageway of communication between apertures 20 and port I! and thus preventing entrance of air into the valve casing. If, as in some heating systems, a relatively low subatmospheric pressure is created in the valve casing, a center portion of the flexible diaphragm 22 will be drawn down and engage the upper surface of wall means If, surrounding port I, and will directly close port l5, as shown in Fig. 2. When steam heats the expansihle fluid in the thermostatic float It the expansible'fluid expands in the usual manner and moves the valve member It upwardly against its seat II to prevent the escape of steam through port I. Also, in the event of an undue amount of water of condensation in the valve casing, float II will rise and close aperture I! to prevent escape of water therethrough. 1

From the oregoing description it will now be appreciated that I have provided an air vent valve having a new and improved valve means and associated structure for controlling the venting of air from a heating system. By reason of the construction of my valve a single valve member is adapted to cooperate with a plurality of valve seats to insure against. leakage of air back into the valve casing after the creation of a subatmospheric pressure in the casing. Also, I have provided a valve of. durable construction and one that is inexpensive to manufacture and eflicient in operation.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a device of the character described, a I

'casing having an open upper end, said casing having a shoulder adjacent to but spaced from said upper end, a plate member intermediate said shoulder and said casing upper end, said plate member having a central aperture therethrough and a plurality of projecting annular seating surfaces surrounding said central aperture, a diaphragm member overlying said plate member and being cooperable with said plurality of seating surfaces to form a plurality of controlled ports, said diaphragm member having an aperture therethrough spaced outwardly from said seating surfaces to form an outlet for said casing, a cap member having an aperture therethrough and overlying said diaphragm member, and means securing said plate member, said diaphragm member and said cap member to said casing member shoulder. r 2. In a device of the character described, a casing having an open upper end, a plate member for insertion into said upper end, means on said casing adjacent to but spaced from said upper end to locate said plate member relative to said casing upper end, said plate member having an aperture therethrough forming a valve port and having a projecting annular seating surface surrounding said aperture, a valve closing member overlying said plate member and having active positions and an inert position, a second annular seating surface surrounding said aperture and spaced at a different level from said first-named seating surface relative to said closing means'when said closing means is in said inert position, said closing member having an aperture therethrough spaced outwardly from said annular seating surfacesto form an outlet for said casing, protecting means overlying said closing member, and means securing said plate member and said closing member and said protecting means to said first-named means, said closing member being cooperable with one of. said seating surfaces at one differential in pressure between that within and without said casing and with the other of said seating surfaces upon a greater difierential in pressure to prevent flow positively through said passageway.

3. In a device of the character described, a casing having an open upper end, a plate member for closing said upper end, said plate member having an aperture therethrough forming a valve port and having a projecting annular seating surface surrounding said aperture, a valve closing member overlying said plate member and having active positions and an inert position, a second seating surface surrounding said aperture and spaced at a different level from said first-named seating surface relative to said closing means when said closing means is in said inert position, said closing member having an aperture therethrough spaced outwardly from said annular seating surfaces, to form an outlet for said casing, protecting means overlying said closing member, and means securing said plate member and said closing member and said protecting means to said casing, said closing member being cooperable with one of said seating surfaces at one differential in pressure between that within and without said casing and with the other of said seatingsurfaces upon a greater differential in pressure to prevent-flow positively through said passageway.

LEWIS W. EGGLESTON. 

